A national poll commissioned by the Alzheimer Society of Canada found that 81 percent of Canadians believe people would look at them differently or treat them differently if they were diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.

"The findings on the stigma question are disappointing, but not
altogether surprising," said Stephen Rudin, executive director of the
Alzheimer Society of Canada. "Although studies have shown awareness of Alzheimer Disease is currently extremely high at 94 per cent, people are still requesting that information about Alzheimer Disease be sent to them in unlabelled envelopes."

The survey of 1,000 Canadians also found that:

• Nearly half of Canadians (46 per cent) know someone who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer Disease;
• Close to half of the Canadians polled (45 per cent) estimate that 10
  per cent or fewer Canadians 65 years of age and older have been
  diagnosed with Alzheimer Disease. (Statistics from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging show that an estimated 5 percent have Alzheimer Disease.)
• Sixty-seven per cent of respondents believe that Alzheimer Disease is a condition that mainly affects people in their 60's and older. (About 5 percent of those with Alzheimer's are estimated to be under 60.)

Other sources: Alzheimer Society of Canada